Audrey II: A Fly Trap Bank
Audrey II: A Fly Trap Bank is a tie-in toy released for the 1986 film. About Poynter Products Poynter Products has an interesting history in novelty toys and it's most well-known for the company's association with the TV series The Addams Family, as well an infamous landmark copyright infringement lawsuit filed by Dr. Seuss - which the good doctor lost.Dr. Seuss: American Icon In 1959, Don Poynter created the "Little Black Box," a curious toy which did virtually nothing. Flip a switch, the interior gears creak, a small hand pops out and turns off the switch. The toy became the inspiration for Thing in The Addams Family, and led Poynter to revise the product as a tie-in "The Thing" bank which snatched coins when you loaded them onto a tray.Don Poynter: One Of The Most Interesting Characters I’ve Ever Met! Poynter went on to create the lightbulb that Uncle Fester used throughout the series, and he marketed a tie-in toyUC Magazine: Alum Don Poynter gains novelty reputation on campus and off which is a highly prized collectible today. Poynter also created a hot water bottle of '50s and '60s movie star Jayne Mansfield, the world's first talking toilet seat, whiskey-flavored toothpaste, and Dr. Seuss's Merry Menagerie, a set of toys based on early works of the renowned children's author. Poynter continued producing novelties until the late '90s, when he closed shop thanks to dwindling sales which he attributed to internet growth. The Bank Poynter's son, also named Don, was an artist working for New York company Associates & Ferren, and he was credited for providing some of the Oscar-nominated special FX in Little Shop of Horrors.IMDb Don Poynter (Jr.) It was presumably Don Jr. who brought Audrey II to his father's attention, leading to one of the film's only pieces of tie-in merchandise. The elongated head and markings on the plant are reminiscent of Martin P. Robinson's Venus flytrap puppet featured in the original Off-Broadway production, and a 1985 copyright date on the bottom leads one to assume that it was Robinson's puppet - not Lyle Conway's bulbous-headed Audrey II from the film - which served as the inspiration for the bank's design. Essentially, "Audrey II" worked the same way as "The Thing" bank. You place a coin in Audrey II's mouth, the weight triggers the internal gears to crank, and it seems to chew and swallow it, retaining the change in a sliding compartment on the bottom. Packaging Prices for the toy drastically vary, but mint in the box copes of the bank are frequently priced in the triple-digits. The box features the official logo from the film and a variety of corny taglines, along with artwork which seems more reminiscent of 1970s toys than 1980s. The box's slogans proclaim: *Feed Me! Feed Me! *You can bank on Audrey II! *Use your friends to fertilize the plant! *We taught her to eat money! *The perfect ingestment plan! *Place a coin in the lips of Audrey II and watch her gulp, chew and swallow it! Images AudreyiiBank1.JPG AudreyiiBank2.jpg AudreyiiBank3.jpg AudreyiiBank4.jpg AudreyiiBank5.jpg AudreyiiBank6.jpg AudreyiiBank7.JPG Audrey II Bank Bottom.jpg Audrey II Bank Height.jpg Audrey II Bank Overview.jpg Audrey II Bank Gulp Chew and Swallow.jpg Audrey II Bank Fertilize The Plant.jpg Video References Category:Little Shop Of Horrors Category:Merchandise